


Journey worth making

by dmichelle312



Series: Pokemon fanfics [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Dark-type Pokemon, Developing Friendships, Gloria admire him, Goths, I'm Canadian so I just didn't bother with British slang, LLF Comment Project, Other, Personal Growth, Piers is a good big brother, Piers is a goof friend, Piers is a sweetheart, Platonic Relationships, Pokemon Gym Leader(s), Pokemon Journey, Protective Piers, Questions, Self-Discovery, Worried Piers, platonic friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21635221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dmichelle312/pseuds/dmichelle312
Summary: Gloria has been fascinated by Dark-type Pokemon and has been a big fan of Dark-type trainers and Dark-type specialists ever since she was little. Piers was no exception. Gloria admire him and want to learn everything she can from him. Her dream has always been to become the greatest Dark-type trainer ever. When she meet Piers for the second time, not too long after she battled him for the Dark-Badge in Spikemuth gym, she has some important questions for him and Piers prepare her for the dangers to come.
Relationships: Implied Mary | Marnie & Masaru | Victor, Mary | Marnie & Nezu | Piers, Nezu | Piers & Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Pokemon fanfics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1200130
Comments: 10
Kudos: 14
Collections: (Pokemon) Other, (Pokemon) Piers/Gloria, Redemption arcs





	Journey worth making

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aukai_771](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aukai_771/gifts), [Irhaboggles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irhaboggles/gifts), [Alkaline6022](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alkaline6022/gifts), [Erin Silverlight-Rey (SilverMillennium_QueenNeptune)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMillennium_QueenNeptune/gifts).



> I headcanon that during the events of the Sword & Shield games, Gloria was 14 (so were Victor and Marnie but they only make a small appearance in this fic) and Piers was 17. Most of my stories will take place at least four years after the events of the games, which means that Gloria would be 18 and Piers would be 21, they are both of age and they can date each other. Apart from the 7th gen protags, we are never told how old the main protags of each game are, it's up to interpretation and there are different headcanons depending on the fanfiction writer. If you think Marnie couldn't be 14 during the events of the games, let me tell you that some people think she was actually 16 (I read posts online made by people who think she was 16 during the events of the games). We all have different interpretations and headcanons. This is my headcanon. Also, it's obvious to me that the main protags of BW2 (who look 15-16 in the BW2 games and even are around that age in the Pokemon Adventures manga) and Swsh (who look 14-15) are teenagers and not children and that they are older protags (which I really like).
> 
> This story ("Journey worth making") takes place during the events of the Swsh games (which means Gloria is 14, Piers is 17, Marnie and Victor are 14), not too long after Gloria battle Piers for the Dark Badge in Spikemuth gym, they meet a second time and there's the beginning of their developing friendship.
> 
> The names I gave to those characters' Pokemon are the nicknames I give to my own Pokemon in my W1, W2, Moon, and Ultra Sun. Nicknames are important to me, I could never train or battle with Pokemon who aren't nicknamed as that would feel too impersonal. Also calling your Pikachu Pikachu and your Salamence Salamence make as much sense as calling your cat cat or your fox fox or your mother human. As far as I'm concerned, the only people who don't nickname their Pokemon are people who are lazy and who aren't serious about Pokemon training and developing a closer bond with their Pokemon. Masuda himself makes a strong point. “Please, give them nicknames,” he says. “You wouldn’t call your cat or dog ‘Cat,’ ‘Dog.’”
> 
> I agree with this OP:
> 
> https://www.polygon.com/pokemon/2018/9/25/17896848/pokemon-nicknames-red-blue
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of its characters.

Gloria had taken a flying taxi to Spikemuth. It was her second visit to Spikemuth. The first time she had come to Spikemuth, some idiots had closed the gate to stop challengers from coming in to face Piers so Marnie would have more of a chance at becoming the next Champion when she make it to the League with all eight badges. Marnie and Piers had not been happy about this and Team Yell had been given a stern talk and had to promise not to do it again. But Gloria was a bit nervous nonetheless. Still Spikemuth fascinated her and there were a lot of Dark-type Pokemon there, not to mention that the Gym Leader was cool. So Gloria had decided to go chill somewhere in Spikemuth. Curious, she decided to go to the gym to see who would be there. Surprisingly, there was no one in there. No human anyway.

"Hello? Anybody here?", she shouted.

A Scrafty and a Malamar approached her. She stayed calm and didn't reach for her Pokeballs.

"Hi, there. I'm Gloria. Is Piers or anyone else here?", she asked.

The Scrafty and Malamar looked at each other and looked around.

"Where is your trainer? Who are you?", she asked.

She then noticed the jewelry chains around their necks and the golden tags with their names on them.

"So, let's see. You're Quint the Scrafty and Tamaki the Malamar. Those are some nice names you got there, I like them", she said with a smile.

The Scrafty and the Malamar smiled at her.

"I'm glad you like the names, I chose them myself... with their consent and approval of course", a familiar voice said.

"Piers!", Gloria exclaimed.

"Gloria, is it?", he said.

She nodded.

"You shouldn't leave your Pokemon behind like that. What about your safety?", she said.

"I had my Obstagoon with me. But thanks for your concern. My Pokemon need to chill a bit", he replied, releasing his Obstagoon from his Pokeball.

"Ozzy, say hi to Gloria", Piers said.

Ozzy roared.

Gloria who didn't like to deal with that Obstagoon outside of battle had a bit of a nervous laughter.

"Hello to you too, I guess", she replied.

Piers laughed.

"Relax, Gloria. He might look intimidating, but deep down he's a big softie who always watch over his team mates and myself. He would never attack someone unless they try to harm his team mates or me. You have nothing to fear", Piers said.

"Don't get me wrong. I love Dark-type Pokemon, I'm just not used to being around an Obstagoon. I have yet to catch a Zigzagoon, but I caught plenty of other Dark-types", she said.

She reached for her Pokeballs.

"Do you want to see my current team?", she asked.

"Yes, of course", he replied.

She released all six of her Pokemon from their Pokeballs.

"Meet Kirion the Thievul, Masao the Pangoro, Marisol the Tyranitar, Rootsie the Shiftry, Freezia the Weavile and Kaliska the Mandibuzz", she said.

A spark of excitement appeared in his eyes. He jumped to his feet and approached her to take a better look at her Pokemon.

"I suspected that you were a Dark-type user like myself when you used a whole roster of Dark-type in your battle against me for the Dark Badge, and what a powerful roster of Dark-types it was. But now that I see you with another roster of Dark-types, I know for certain that you are a Dark-type user and that you really love Dark-type Pokemon", he replied with a smile.

"In fact, my dream has always been to become the best Dark-type trainer ever", she added.

"Really? Well, well, well. Isn't that interesting? It seems that things are going to get more exciting around here after all. I wish you good luck taking on the final Gym Leader, and in the semi-finals", he said.

"Thanks", she replied.

Gloria returned her Pokemon to their Pokeballs and turned to Piers.

"There's a question I need to ask you", she said.

"Well, ask", he replied.

"Even if you were in a place where you are able to use dynamax, you wouldn't use it, would you?", she asked.

He shook his head.

"That's what I thought", she said.

After a pause she turned to him again.

"Piers, I need to know why you refuse to use dynamax, I want to understand", she said.

"There are things that you don't know, and trust me, it's better that way. You're not yet ready to face them", Piers replied with that same worried look he had in his eyes when he was worrying about his sister and his grandmother.

"What's that supposed to mean, Piers? Please, I'm fourteen, I'm not a child anymore and I beated you, I won that badge fair and square. Tell me what's bad about dynamax", she said.

"Have you ever dynamaxed your Pokemon?", Piers asked.

She shook her head.

"Why not?", he asked.

"Because every time I so much as consider using dynamax, something feels wrong, there's an unsettling feeling in my heart, and my instinct tell me not to subject my Pokemon and myself to that kind of thing, so I don't use dynamax at all and I don't think I ever will", she replied.

"I don't use dynamax for the same reason, Gloria. Also, it is said that something happened in the past called the Darkest Day, the day in history where dynamax energies pushed through the region until a pair of heroes stopped them. There was also something about Galar particles. And there's also this explosion of red light and these wild Pokemon dynamaxing the day you had your gym battle with me. I've said it before and I'll say it again. This dynamax stuff. No matter how many times I see it, I still don't like it. And I'm not even talking about the fact that I seem to be the only one who has noticed the strange behavior of someone I will not name", he said.

"Wait a minutes. You mean, you know who is behind all this?", she asked.

"I might not know for sure, but I have strong suspicion", he replied.

"Piers, who...", she started.

But he raised a hand and interrupted her.

"Don't ask. You're not ready to face this yet. I will just say this though; I've always suspected the top authorities of the Pokemon League or government of being corrupt. Listen, Gloria and listen well because it's important. When you get a chance, challenge the final gym and get the final badge. I will see you at the semi-finals. Be prepared. Anything could happen. But I will be there to help you. In fact, I will probably be the only one who will be there to help you. It's sad to say, but the other Gym Leaders they play oblivious and turn a blind eye to what's going on because they are too attached to their position of power and authority to question him or confront him. But I'm not that attached to my position as Gym Leader, I want to retire and let my sis take over the gym. I want to focus on writing songs and singing, that's what i want to do. So he can try to bribe me all he wants that's not going to work", he replied.

"Who is...", she started.

"I already told you. Don't ask. You're not ready to face this yet. But you're an intelligent girl, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Promise me one thing. Promise me you won't even consider going anywhere near Rose Tower until after you got that final badge", he said.

"Rose Tower? But Piers, what...", she started.

"Just promise, Gloria. Please", he added.

"Fine. I promise", she replied.

"Good. Once you've beaten the last gym and gotten the final badge, you will probably be ready to face what's coming and then and only then can you consider getting involved in this and stopping the terrible events that are soon going to take place in Galar. I feel it in my guts, something awful is going to happen soon and it'll have to do with dangerous people experimenting with freaking dynamax", he said.

At that moment, three of Piers' gym staff members who were also members of Team Yell entered the gym and interrupted their conversation.

"Jake, Dylan and Riley. What is it?", Piers asked.

"The Chairman is at the door, Piers", said Jake.

"He wants to speak to you", said Dylan.

"I didn't really wanted to let him in, but he insisted, and I convinced him first to let me go and announce him to the Gym Leader", Riley added.

Gloria saw Piers' eyes widen with panic and worry. He grabbed Gloria's arms and started pushing her towards the back door.

"You have to leave now, quick. Remember what I told you. If you want to do something, you have to be ready. Go get that final badge. Hurry up. I can tell there isn't much time left. And see you at the semi-finals", he said.

"Piers...", she said.

"Just go. Now. Please", he pleaded.

He pushed her through the back door and then locked the back door. The last thing she saw was the concern and worry in his piercing light blue eyes. She couldn't get in because the door was locked, but she pressed her ear against the door and forced herself to stand still and listen. For a short time, the only sound was the pounding of her own heart, then she heard a conversation.

"Let him in, but don't tell him Gloria was here and keep a close watch on him", Piers told the three gym staff members.

Then she heard the sound of footsteps as they introduced the Chairman into the room. Gloria started wondering what the Chairman wanted with Piers.

She heard Quint and Ozzy snarl.

"Ssh, stay calm", Piers told them softly in a soothing voice.

A minute later, she heard Rose's voice from within the room.

"Piers. I hope I didn't interrupt anything important. Did you have a guest or a challenger or something?", Rose said.

"You didn't interrupt anything important. And as you can see, except for my gym staff members, I'm alone and there is no one else here. Now, what is it that you want?", Piers replied.

"You didn't show up at some of the events, including the opening ceremony", Rose said.

"That's not the first time this happens. Also, family comes first. My grandmother was sick and needed me to take care of her. I had to help my younger sister prepare for her gym challenge and her trainer journey too. There was also some emergency stuff I had to take care of. Also, since my town was abandoned by the Pokemon League, essentially Galar's government, I've had no help with the gym so I had to manage it all on my own", Piers said, a tad bit aggressive.

"Piers, you're against dynamaxing and you have resisted moving the gym to a stadium so you don't dynamax your Pokemon", Rose replied.

"It's my choice", Piers said.

"Exactly, it's your choice. So don't complain when your government leave you behind and doesn't support you because you won't embrace progress like dynamax energy", Rose replied.

"First of all, I don't "complain". Secondly, this has nothing to do with actual progress. Thirdly, because we don't use dynamax in my town we are showing off a more authentic battle style. Fourtly, I'm not going to get into this debate with you - we've had it before and it only goes one way, and at the end of the day I'm still not gonna change my mind about that dynamax stuff", Piers said.

Gloria felt her heart swell with pride and admiration because Piers was standing up for his convictions.

"Now, do you have something else to tell me? Three challengers are going to tackle this gym today and they should be here soon. It was "nice" chatting with you, but duty calls, I've got to get back to work", Piers added.

"Of course. Well, I'll leave you to your duties. I guess I'll see you at the semi-finals, if I'm there", Rose replied.

"I'll be there, I wouldn't miss it for the world. My sister and I will participate", Piers said.

"I wish you the best of luck then. Bye Piers", Rose replied.

The three gym staff members accompanied Rose outside and he left. They went back inside and joined Piers in the gym. The back door was suddenly unlocked and opened. Piers looked at Gloria.

"You're still here. I knew it", he said.

"I... uh...", she started.

"You were listening in on the conversation, weren't you?", he said.

She couldn't lie to me and didn't want to lie to him.

"Yes", she admitted.

"You couldn't help it, could you?", he said.

She looked at her feet in embarassment.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again", she said.

He nodded.

"At least you were honest and you didn't lie to me", he replied.

"It's just... I wanted to make sure you would be okay. You looked panicked and worried and you obviously didn't like that visit one bit. You know, I'm just as worried about you as you are about me. And I know you worry about your sister too. You're a good friend and a good big brother", she said.

He flushed and for a moment he couldn't find anything to say. Then he turned to her.

"Go get that final badge, Gloria", he said.

"Okay, I'm going now", she replied.

She turned to him one last time.

"Oh and keep standing up for your convictions. I'm proud of you and you have my support, one hundred per cent", she said with a smile.

He stared at her then he returned her smile.

"Thank you, Gloria. You're a good friend too. Take care", he replied.

He watched her leave then he went back inside.

"Marnie is here, she dropped in for a visit", Jake said.

"Ah, good", Piers replied.

When Marnie entered the gym, her brother greeted her.

"How is your journey going?", Piers asked.

"I learned a lot of things and I get to travel all over the region, so I'm not complaining", Marnie replied.

"And you hang out with that boy, Victor. He was all you talked about in your text messages to me this week", he said.

"Hey! He beated you fair and square, I saw it!", she said.

"I'm not denying that", he replied.

"Fine, but he's a good friend and a great rival too", she said.

"Just a good friend? Nothing more?", Piers asked.

"As of now, we're just good friends", she replied.

"But you like him more than a friend?", Piers asked.

"Maybe", she replied.

"Maybe?!", he said, laughing.

"We're getting to know each other better. Time will tell, but I think he likes me too. He even asked if we can hang out together more, I'll take that as a good sign", she replied with a bright smile.

"I hope things work out for you. You know I just want to see you happy, sis", he said affectionately.

"I know. I want to see you happy too. Have you met someone?", she asked.

"If you're asking if I'm in a romantic relationship, the answer is "no, not yet". But remember Gloria who not so long ago battled me for the Dark Badge? Of course you do, you were there. We're developing a friendship, which is good. By the way, remember what we talked about during our last conversation? Be prepared, it's going to happen soon. I just know it. Something awful is gonna happen soon. I warned Gloria and prepared her for the dangers to come. I also told her that if she's going to do something about it, I will help her. Be prepared sis, and please be careful", he replied.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful and I'll help too if I can. Now, how about some practice and training with our Pokemon? We can have a couple battles. Are you game?", she said.

"I'm game", he replied with a smile.

\- End -

**Author's Note:**

> This awesome Piers guy did a lot of firsts.
> 
> First Gym Leader to not use the Leader Theme.  
> First Dark Gym Leader.  
> First Gym Leader to have a sibling who isn’t a twin or triplet who eventually takes over for them.  
> First Gym Leader in Galar to not use Dynamax.  
> First in line at Hot Topic.
> 
> I have several fanfic projects on my list. I will be working on a few fanfics that I will post in time for Christmas. Some of them more Christmassy than others. I plan on writing a few Pokemon fanfics (most if not all of them, that is those I will write in December of this year, will be about characters falling in love or dating and also some angst, fluff and domestic stuff), I plan on writing three or four Pokemon Sword & Shield fanfics that will be about characters like Gloria, Victor, Piers, Marnie, Grimsley, Burgh and one of my OCs. I might also write a Pokemon Originshipping fanfic. I also plan on writing a short Christmas-themed Malec fanfic and a short Quicksand fanfic towards the end of December or the beginning of January.
> 
> If you want to be notified when I post my new works, subscribe to me on AO3.
> 
> Also, see this (and leave me some feedback/con-crit please):
> 
> https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject


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